I'm leaving for a bit... what does the person managing my account need to do

An Open Letter to the Employee Who Has Just Been Asked to Manage the StreamSend Account

Dear New StreamSend User,

So, you’ve been asked to take over the Streamsend account from another employee who’s gone on vacation or left the company, and now find yourself staring at a software interface that you’ve never used before, eh? And now you have a deadline to meet, and only a few hours to meet it while completing all of your other tasks? Well don’t fret, as I have a list of 5 simple tips that are going to make this morning and the rest of your StreamSend experience much easier:

1. Breathe - This isn't going to be nearly as difficult as it may seem.

2. Saved Emails Save Time - If you're taking over for someone else, there's an excellent chance that there are already several saved emails in your account. Rather than starting from scratch, which can be daunting if this is your first time using the system, you can piggyback on the design work that’s already been established and put together a message that will be familiar to your subscribers, all within a few minutes. Just take a look at the Create/Send section of your account, and preview the various saved messages listed in your account. You can use the Edit option to bring up a message that you’d like to work with, and replace all of the existing text and images with your updated content, while keeping the general structure and format. When you are done making your changes, just make sure to save the updated version and send it out at your leisure.

3. Delivery is a Finicky Beast - I know that your boss has asked you to get 500,000 emails out that were supposed to be sent yesterday, but wouldn't he be more upset if next weeks newsletter didn't get through to everybody because of a mistake made today? Don't shoot yourself in the foot by sending out a gigantic blast that may upset the major ISPs. Check your Reports section and get an idea of how large your previous sends have been. Try to send in similar numbers, breaking your lists up, if necessary. We have both Lists and Filters options that make this easy, and there’s a good chance that your predecessor has already set them up for you. Space your smaller blasts at least 4 hours apart, and you should be able to get that 500,000 out in no time.

4. 45 minutes really isn't that long - I can't tell you how many times I've a frantic call from someone in your position who needed to get something out soon, but due to simple user errors made in the system, still hadn't gotten the message out several hours later. I always recommend our Getting Started webinar (hosted by a certain charismatic blog poster), and while anyone who attends is typically very appreciative, many users balk at the suggestion, stating that they simply don't have the time. I've worked with hundreds of users over the years, and this webinar is the culmination of the most frequently asked questions and requested tutorials I've received during my time working with StreamSend, all wrapped up in a neat little 45 minute bundle. You might be able to rush through the process and get it out within a few minutes (our interface is quite intuitive, if I may say so), but then again, you might be banging your head against the monitor a few hours later, so maybe you ought to save yourself the headache, pour a cup of coffee, tea or what have you, and sit down for a little quality time with the Getting Started webinar (you can even fast forward past the sections you don't need).

5. Account Managers: The Greatest People In the World? – This last tip is for our larger customers, as each of our Large Volume plans comes with an Account Manager who is there to help answer questions and guide you through the process of getting your messages out in the most effective manner possible. If, during any part of your StreamSend experience, you decide that a little assistance will help push things through quicker, just give your Account Manager a ring and watch your troubles disappear.

Hopefully, these tips will help make your experience as stress-free as possible. Welcome to Streamsend.